eli5 why do streaming services change what content is available based on location?

Question

eli5 why do streaming services change what content is available based on location?

In: Other

Answer 1

Licensing deals are negotiated on a region by region basis.

So the company that owns a TV show may have signed a deal with BritFlix in the UK to be the _exclusive_ provider of that show there. When Netflix comes along and wants worldwide rights, the company can’t give them the rights to the UK because those already belong to BritFlix – so if you are in the US you can watch the show on Netflix, but have to subscribe to BritFlix if you are in the UK.